Principal Machine Learning Engineer – Wafer Fabrication
Coherent
Listing collected from Coherent's career site. NextChapter is independent of Coherent.
Fremont, CA · Posted September 9, 2026
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Where Fremont, CA ranks
Where Fremont, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #13Cities with the most hybrid jobs in the West Coast15% · of 66
- #15Best cities for mid-career professionals in the West Coast59% · of 71
- #17Best cities for technology pay after cost of living$181k · of 80
- #17Best cities for pay after cost of living in California$152k · of 32
- #17Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the West Coast226 openings · of 60
- #18Best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the West Coast51 / 100 · of 39
Rankings about data & analytics jobs
- Best cities for data and analytics jobs #1 New York (1,713 openings)
- Best cities for data and analytics pay after cost of living #1 Foster ($232k)
- Most requested AI skills in data and analytics jobs #1 Machine learning engineering (17.1%)
- AI tools named most often in data and analytics jobs #1 Databricks (7.6%)
- Employers with the most data and analytics jobs #1 Amazon (711 roles)
Data & Analytics jobs · Top Data & Analytics employers · All rankings
Pay compared with the market
This listing does not state pay. Across 35 open principal machine learning engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $212,000 to $317,000 and the median is $258,500.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
Principal Machine Learning Engineer salaries by state · Check your own pay
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among computer occupations, all other, AI is already used for a large share of the tasks. Measured exposure for computer occupations, all other: 31% (high).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
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About the job
Primary Duties & Responsibilities
Develop and validate models for yield improvement, screening accuracy, and process optimization through application of model selection and hyperparameter tuning.
Collaborate with Photonics designers and process, reliability and manufacturing engineers to align ML approaches with product objectives and to quantify cost-benefit analysis.
Deploy AI/ML within manufacturing systems through a combination of Edge AI, API serving, Containerization, and Cloud-based training and inference
Partner with industrial and MES software engineers to integrate AI/ML pipelines within existing production workflows
Develop reusable data pipelines, analytical tools, dashboards, and model-monitoring methods.
Support design of experiments, process characterization, and continuous improvement activities.
Help establish best practices for ML, and share the practices across the site and other sites.
Skills
The Candidate will have competency in the following areas:
Expertise in deep learning frameworks such as Pytorch, TensorFlow
Expertise deep learning architectures such as CNNs, RNNs, GANs
Expertise in ML methods such as Random Forests and Gradient Boosting
Experience with clustering, feature engineering, and dimensionality reduction methods
Proficiency in ML model deployment through RESTful APIs, containerization, and container orchestration
Experience with SQL and modern data-processing or data-platform technologies.
Familiarity with statistical methods, experimental design, regression, classification, clustering, anomaly detection, and model evaluation
Programming skills in Python and experience with common data-science and machine-learning libraries is a plus
Familiarity with high-performance ML inference (CUDA, Libtorch, ONNX Runtime, C++ programming and data structures) is a strong plus
Experience with cloud-based ML training and inference using AWS, GCP, Azure, or Databrix is a plus
Familiarity with machine vision such as defect detection and OCR is a plus
Familiarity with big data frameworks such as Hadoop and Spark is a plus
Exposure to manufacturing, wafer fabrication, photonics , telecommunications is a plus
Demonstrated ability to take an analysis from problem definition through deployment, validation, and communication of results.
Education & Experience
The Candidate will have minimum 5 years of experience with AI, preferably including ML, preferably with experience in statistical analytic techniques, and 3 years experience in a production environment.
A Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering , Computer Science, Physics, or related field with specialization in Data Science, AI/ML, or Statistics ; a Master’s degree is preferred.
Working Conditions
The job is on-site for the first three months, with the possibility to convert to hybrid afterwards. The job requires weekly morning hours and occasional evening and weekend hours. Travel to other Coherent sites in the Bay Area and the US may be possible to share knowledge with other experts.
Physical Requirements
Sitting or standing for several hours per day, with the option of having a sit-stand desk.
Extensive keyboard and mouse work.
Safety Requirements
All employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.
Quality and Environmental Responsibilities
Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.
Culture Commitment
Ensure adherence to company’s values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.:
I ntegrity – Create an Environment of Trust
C ollaboration – Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas
A ccountability – Own the Process and the Outcome
R espect – Recognize the Value in Everyone
E nthusiasm – Find a Sense of Purpose in Work
Coherent Corp. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at talentacquisition@coherent.com .
Coherent is a global leader in lasers, engineered materials and networking components. We are a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets. Coherent provides a comprehensive career development platform within an environment that challenges employees to perform at their best, while rewarding excellence and hard-work through a competitive compensation program. It's an exciting opportunity to work for a company that offers stability, longevity and growth. Come Join Us!
Note to recruiters and employment agencies: We will not pay for unsolicited resumes from recruiters and employment agencies unless we have a signed agreement and have required assistance, in writing, for a specific opening.